


Novel-Teas

by Masdevallia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Puns & Word Play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23920249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masdevallia/pseuds/Masdevallia
Summary: Ferdinand enjoys his birthday with Bernadetta.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	Novel-Teas

**Author's Note:**

> I had the brainworms after seeing some novelty teas on twitter on Sunday and instantly thought of these two. The next thing I knew, I wrote this entire oneshot in one sitting the day before Ferdinand's birthday. Please enjoy!

If there was anything in the world Ferdinand von Aegir loved doing, it was giving his wife unique gifts for her birthday. A year after they had married, he had given her a horse. Two years in, he had given her the blueprints to a state-of-the-art, cutting-edge greenhouse fit for his backyard. It had been completed by the time her next birthday had come around, where he had gifted her various assortments of seeds he had ordered from near and far. No task was too small or too difficult for Ferdinand von Aegir.

Except he didn’t know how exactly he would top something as marvelous as the greenhouse. 

Until one day, he had inquired over various artisanal stores as to what he could give his wife. After all, her creativity was something to behold! Something that ought to be appreciated by everyone...or at the very least, whenever they had guests, for she had her reclusive tendencies.

And that was when he was directed to the pottery wheel. It was a marvelous, most stupendous idea! It was the perfect birthday gift for his dearest Bernadetta.

And when he gifted her on that chilly winter day, her bright gray eyes had shone even brighter than the moon itself. Bernadetta deserved the very best and Ferdinand strived to give her everything he could so that he could continue to see her smile, especially knowing that her now distant past was only but a scar. 

“Ahh Ferdie!” she squealed, her delight beautiful and intoxicating to Ferdinand. He had leaned over for when she tugged at his sleeve for a kiss. This was the best part. Watching her reactions and being on the receiving end of her sweet kisses and surprisingly strong hugs. “I love it! I’ve always wanted one of these!”

“The artisans have included an instruction manual for your perusal. I found it a most fitting gift for you.” He kissed her again and again, enjoying the sweet taste of tea and sweets on her lips. “I hope you enjoy this, my love.”

“I’m going to use it right away! This is going to be great!”

However, unlike his previous birthday gifts and the initial feelings of joy he felt when he gave her the pottery wheel, Ferdinand came to...have some reservations on it.

When Bernadetta had met her mare, they had hit it off. Of course she did, her mare had a pleasant disposition, perfectly matching her owner, and Bernadetta had a natural affinity with horses. And the greenhouse was self explanatory, for Bernadetta had an unmatched passion for gardening. 

But sometimes as he’d pass by the halls, he would hear her having a screaming match with the wheel. “No! You’re not to take on that form!” Sometimes she would say things like, “No! No! No! Please center properly! Please, pretty please!”

Ferdinand had intervened about two months after her birthday when he heard her insulting herself. “Stupid Bernie! Why can’t you ever get things right? You’re so bad at this! Useless! You’re so useless!”

He observed the scene. There was clay everywhere and the one she had on her hands was misaligned and uneven. He cleared his throat. Bernadetta turned around, with tears in her eyes.

“Bernadetta, my love. Is something the matter?” 

She got out of her seat, her clay stained arms wrapping around his waist. Ferdinand hoped it didn’t stain his coat too much or at the very least, it would be easy to get off. But none of that mattered when she was back to insulting herself. “I’m so bad at this, Ferdie! Look at this!”

“I believe this is quite the bowl you have made, my dear.”

Bernadetta cried even harder, her tears falling fast and angry down her face. “It’s supposed to be a cup!”

Ferdinand kissed the top of her head. “While I do think it is quite admirable to want to make the best of everything, you said so yourself that you have never used a pottery wheel.”

Bernadetta let go and met his gaze. A tear fell from her eyes and she sniffed. “But I followed the instruction manual perfectly!”

“Perhaps that is not what you need. Have you considered going to a class? Or rather, I can send over a tutor for you! Would you like that, Bernadetta?”

She sniffed again. This time, Ferdinand placed a gentle finger right below her eyes, catching the tears that fell. Even though this was a rather silly reason for her to cry, he nonetheless abhorred seeing her in this state.

“Um,” she said, her gaze meeting his. “Okay, Ferdinand. You can get a tutor for me. I just really want to get good at this! There’s something I really want to make!”

“Very well, then. Then with this tutor, you shall make your cups and other ceramics to your heart’s content!”

After he had successfully hired a tutor, Bernadetta had all but disappeared, only showing up to bed when it was bedtime and would be far too tired to talk about their days and of other matters. She would occasionally attend dinner, but he was starting to grow lonely without her constant presence. 

Bernadetta had remained consumed by the pottery wheel, and he feared that she was spending more time with the tutor he had hired. So when early April had come about, he had pulled the tutor aside after one of their sessions. This tutor was considered a true artisan and the top in their field, having gone to a specialized school in the Alliance.

Ferdinand didn’t know how to preface his question. “My wife has taken a...certain kind of devotion into perfecting the craft of pottery,” he began. “How is her progress?”

“You wife has come a long way,” the potter said. “She has the natural aptitude, but she is particularly determined to make a particular kind of ceramic, with a deadline and everything.”

“I was aware of her goals, as she has alluded to an item she wishes to make, but this is the first I am hearing about this deadline?”

“Unfortunately, she has sworn me to secrecy.”

Ferdinand had nearly jumped in surprise. “A secret? Bernadetta does not keep secrets from me!” Ferdinand was shocked.  _ What kind of secrets would my dearest Bernadetta keep from me? What is it she is so secretive of?  _ More thoughts had coursed through his mind.  _ Would this in any way explain why Bernadetta is never by my side these days? Why her time has been-- _

“The secret is n-nothing too outlandish,” the potter said. “I promise you her intentions are good.”

Ferdinand breathed in a sigh of relief. Of course, there was no need to doubt Bernadetta’s character in any way. It was just the fact that she was rarely a secretive person. He thought to the few times she was acting discreet. “Aha!” he said, figuring it out. “Then this must be her greatest project!” 

Bernadetta only kept to herself when she was tackling her most extraordinary of projects. This was no different, then, and when he had figured this out, he had now understood why she was so distant, so determined, and so devoted to her newfound passion.

Of course, he still missed her presence, but he wanted her to explore her passions and to grow.

But his loneliness hit its peak on the final day of the Great Tree Moon, otherwise known as his birthday. 

Ferdinand had woken up alone in his bed. He vaguely remembered Bernadetta climbing in late at night, her limbs clinging to his. He recalled turning over to her and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before falling back asleep again. 

Feeling resigned and rather down, he got ready for his day, lamenting the entire time that he could have spent his birthday morning with his wife. And then a horrible thought came to his head.  _ What if she has forgotten?  _

He hoped surely not, for he wanted to visit the opera or go on a stroll downtown.

His sudden nerves calmed when he smelled the distinctive aroma of Almyran Pine Needles. 

Bernadetta was in the kitchen, wearing an apron. Her hair was a frizzy mess as she took out what appeared to be corn muffins from a tray. Breakfast had already been made. She turned around and saw him, her mouth gaping open. 

“Oh! Happy birthday, Ferdinand!” Seconds later, she had embraced him, her arms flying around his waist. Ferdinand’s heart sped up. He didn’t know why he was still so scared of her rejecting him. He knew he was needy and oftentimes starved for attention but it took a lot out of him to fight it.

“Thank you, my love. Did you make breakfast for us?” He surveyed their breakfast. There were fruits lined up all throughout the table alongside various meats and eggs and cooked potatoes. All of his favorite foods were in sight.

“I also made you some tea,” she said, letting go. “Um, I couldn’t decide which of your favorites to make, so um...I made all three of them.” Her hand found his and they walked to the center of the table.

There were three teapots right in front of him, all of them unlike any he had ever seen before. The first teapot resembled a pumpkin, with the handle and lid resembling the stem. It looked simple, yet had a dantiness to it. 

The second teapot was a bright red tomato with green leaves forming around the lid and the spout. A stem was painted with leaves around the handle. It was eye grabbing and adorable. To Ferdinand, the leaves resembled actual leaves with their visible texture.

The final teapot was the most intricate. It was a pink rose that boasted of near life-like petals. Like the others, the handle was a stem, but what truly made it unique was how the stem lined the bottom half of the tea and painted all the way to the spout. The delicate pink color and the sheer fragility of it showed it was crafted with...crafted with…

He could now identify the exhaustion in her eyes as the realization hit him. “Did you make these, Bernadetta?”

She nodded. “Yep! I made these for you. Happy birthday, Ferdinand!”

He pulled her into another embrace, never taking his eyes away from the teapots. Bernadetta really was the perfect wife in every single way. She knew exactly how to make his birthday so special. There was no better gift that he had ever been given. Not only were they among his lift of favorite things, but were crafted with her love.

“Do you like them?”

He leaned closer to her. “Like them? I  _ love _ them. They are simply splendid and utterly dazzling to behold!” Ferdinand lowered himself to kiss Bernadetta properly. Her lips were soft and as perfect as ever. “I love you,” he said, remaining only centimeters apart from her.

“I love you too,” she said

He closed the gap again, wrapping her in an embrace. This wasn’t the way he thought he would give her affection on his birthday morning, but it was better. He kissed her nose, then her forehead before sitting down and taking a teacup and saucer.

“I’m so glad you like my novel-teas!” She laughed, and so did he. “Get it? Novel-teas?” Of course her use of puns was irresistible and adorable. It was everything he loved.

“I adore your novel-teas! Which one has which brew?”

“The pumpkin has the Almyran Pine Needles, the tomato has the Southern Fruit Blend, and the rose has Seiros Tea. Feel free to pick anything you like!”

Ferdinand poured himself some Seiros Tea, Bernadetta the Southern Fruit Blend as they chatted over a scrumptious breakfast. He caught her yawning by the end of it. By the time they had finished, he had at least one of each blend.

“Let us retire to bed,” he said, taking note of her exhaustion.

She had snuggled close to him, her head on his chest as he faced her, her fingers playing idly with his hair as her eyes closed. “I’m...so glad you liked my novel-teas. I worked super extra hard on them.”

“I more than appreciated them. Everything you do is so lovely. This has been the best birthday I have ever had.” He felt silly at the fact that he was alarmed at her keeping a secret. Of course she was, it was his birthday surprise.

“I wouldn’t have done it without you, you know. You were the one who got me the pottery wheel, and then found a tutor for me. I want to make more of these for you. I have...so many ideas,” she finished with a yawn.

He ran his fingers through her hair. “I cannot wait to see them.” She had fallen asleep. 

Ferdinand wanted to make evening plans with his wife, but now, newer plans began to manifest and take form in his head. He would make a special glass cabinet for them as she would make more. He would revel in using every single one of them.

His last thoughts before falling asleep again were of the extent of his wife’s creativity and the name she had called them.  _ The novel-teas. A perfect name. _


End file.
